


Coming Home (Earth Below Us, Drifting, Falling)

by fandm_writer



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Action, Actual 13 year old five hargreeves, Angst, Gen, I’m not a rocket scientist, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Songfic, There’s probably scientific inconsistencies, baby umbrella kids, spaceboy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28649394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandm_writer/pseuds/fandm_writer
Summary: Luther Hargreeves was only 12 years old when his father first told him he would be going to space. If he hadn't known better, if he hadn't had an acute awareness of the dangers of the world around him...it might have actually sounded fun.It wasn't fun, he quickly found out.Alternatively, Luther's first space mission goes horribly wrong, and Five...well, Five is true to his nature.Songfic: Major Tom (Coming Home) by Peter Schilling
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Luther Hargreeves, The Hargreeves Family
Comments: 19
Kudos: 71





	Coming Home (Earth Below Us, Drifting, Falling)

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably kind of an obscure song to use for a fic, but it’s on the soundtrack and I just really felt like it should’ve been Luther’s (it wasn’t) and trying to imagine it resulted in this one-shot being born. Hope you guys enjoy.

Luther Hargreeves was only 12 years old when his father first told him he would be going to space. If he hadn't known better, if he hadn't had an acute awareness of the dangers of the world around him...it might have actually sounded fun. 

It wasn't fun, he quickly found out. It was painful and nauseating and claustrophobic. It was a tight cabin and a restricting spacesuit. It was several Gs of velocity slamming into him all at once and pinning him to his seat. It was his back hurting because of the way zero gravity compressed and decompressed his spine. It was oxygen and fire and the near-constant risk of being scattered across the stratosphere. It was plummeting to earth or dying a fiery death. 

_Standing there alone. The ship is waiting. All systems are go. Are you sure?_

At age 13, Luther sat all by himself in the cockpit of a rocket, every possible way the mission could go wrong racing through his brain. It was his very first. He had been through test flight after test flight, but this was finally the real deal. This was it. 

_Control is not convinced. But the computer has the evidence. No need to abort._

Somewhere on the ground, Reginald Hargreeves stood in front of a screen, the rest of his Umbrella Academy all lined up next to him. All around them the technicians buzzed, some zipping in and out of the room and others seated at their consoles. All preparing for takeoff. 

"Sir, there appears to be an anomaly in the thrusters," one of the technicians called back, pulling his headset halfway off. 

Hargreeves put on his all too familiarmonocle and stepped forward, leaning over to look at the screen with a critical eye. 

"It's well within parameters," he declared after a beat. "Proceed." His voice was firm and commanding. 

The technicians nodded, tapping a few keys. 

_The countdown starts._

Moments later, a loud set of beeps filled the room and a large clock above the screen began to tick down. 

_Watching in a trance, the crew is certain. Nothing left to chance, all is working._

Five Hargreeves stood alongside his brothers and sisters, eyes fixed on the image of the rocket before him. He was placed between Number Four and Number Six, both wearing ill concealed looks of worry. Instinctively, he glanced at Ben then looked past to Vanya. She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, fingers pulling at the hem of her jacket. Ben was tapping his hands against his legs, the restlessness in the air palatable. 

"He's right," Five found himself speaking quietly, not sure why he suddenly felt the need to quiet their unspoken fears. "The numbers are in the normal range and the thruster will only be operational for a few minutes." 

Vanya pulled her gaze away from the screen long enough to look at him as he spoke. She nodded wordlessly, a look of uncertainty in her eyes. 

_Trying to relax, up in the capsule. "Send me up a drink." jokes Major Tom._

“Number One, prepare for takeoff," Reginald's stern voice spoke into the coms. 

"Copy that," he replied, a forced calm in his static laced words. There was a brief pause and then, "You think it's too late to ask mom to pack me a lunch?" He joked, eliciting a small chorus of quiet laughter, especially from Number Two.

"Focus, Number One," their father reprimanded. 

"Yes sir," Luther answered quickly, renewed gravity in his words. 

_The count goes on._

A mix between a scoff and a laugh escaped Five's lips. At least he was still trying to be funny...in his own way. That was a good sign. 

Five kept his eyes locked on the rocket as the clock counted down, his jaw clenched and his hands in his pockets. 

He had spent months helping Luther prepare. Going over all the maths, discussing all the training and the stages of takeoff. There wasn't another sibling aside from Luther that was better acquainted with the logistics of this mission. Five knew the rocket inside and out. He knew exactly what was supposed to happen and when...he knew everything that could go wrong. (There was a lot.)

He also knew exactly what to do  _if_ that happened. 

He knew how scared Luther was, even if he refused to show it. (He was their leader after all, and good leaders never show weakness. Or so their father had told them). He knew. He knew because Luther had snuck off to his room just the night before. He had slipped in when it was long past bedtime and the house was cold, his eyes tired and red-rimmed. He had wanted to say goodbye before they left early in the morning. He had wanted to make Five promise that he would take care of the others if the takeoff didn't go as planned. 

Five refused, vowing that he wouldn't let that happen. 

Luther had just shook his head, all but ordering him not to do anything unless their father sanctioned it. Five hadn't said anything. He wouldn't make that promise. He refused to do anything less than what he knew he was capable of. He refused to just wait or stand idly by, particularly if one of their lives were on the line. 

The clock ticked ever closer and Five grit his teeth as the technicians began their final countdown. 

"7, 6, 5,–"

_4 3 2 1_

An inky black dread pooled in Klaus's stomach. He had already seen so many ghosts in his life, so many of the dead. He didn't know what he would do if he ever saw one of his siblings. 

Allison's breaths were quick and uneven, her hands trembling. She whispered wishes and prayers and promises to herself, trying to will it all into order. 

_"I heard a rumor it was fine."_

_"I heard a rumor nothing bad happened."_

_"I heard a rumor you were safe."_

Diego stood in complete silence, not trusting his voice. He felt a little light-headed, the low thump of his heart hammering in his ears. In that moment, he regretted every argument he had ever had with his brother. 

"Ignition," the word carried a sharp note of finality. 

The rocket blasted off, throwing flames in all directions as the engines roared, propelling it off the ground and launching it steadily into the atmosphere. 

_Earth below us._

_Drifting, falling, floating, weightless._

_Calling calling home._

Luther was violently sucked back into his seat, the air forced from his lungs. The straps on his chair felt entirely too tight and a cold sweat broke out across his forehead. He clamped his eyes shut and breathed through it, making his body obey him. 

Higher and higher into the atmosphere he went, seconds passing like minutes. There was a deep and rumbling  clang as the first set of engines detached and fell away. 

_Second stage is cut. We're now in orbit. Stabilizers up, running perfect. Starting to collect requested data_

_"What will it affect when all is done?" Thinks Major Tom._

"Powering up thrusters now," the technician spoke into his headset. 

He flipped a switch and Five's mind raced, his foot making quick and unconscious taps on the floor. He ran the equations as fast as he could, checking and double-checking his math. He watched the numbers crawl past one of the screens, his eyes narrowing as a line of formula went by. 

Something was wrong. 

_Back at ground control, t here is a problem. _ _"Go to rockets full.” N ot responding._

A split second after the thought entered Five's mind there was a sudden and violent eruption. His eyes snapped back to the screen just in time to see the right side thruster blow out, the fuel tank igniting an instant later. Flames and metal and pieces of the rocket exploded out, sending it crashing back down to terra firma. 

  
  


_" Hello Major Tom are you receiving? Turn the thrusters on. We're standing by."_

  
  


"Dad—" Luther's shrill voice filled the room just before the com feed was violently cut off, leaving nothing but crackling static in its wake.

Five's eyes went wide as a tidal wave of dread washed over him. 

"Status, Number One!" Reginald barked into his microphone. 

_There's no reply._

"Number One, do you copy!"

Devastation crashed all of the siblings.

_4 3 2 1_

Five's feet were in motion before he was even consciously aware of it. He sprinted across the room and slammed his shoulder into the door, shoving it open. 

"Number Five!" Reginald's tone was loud and piercing, yet it fell on deaf ears.

The Boy's feet pounded against the solid floor as he made a break down the hall, the sounds of the control room growing fainter with every bound. 

"Number Five come back this instant!"  
  


_Earth below us._

_Drifting, falling, floating, weightless._

_Calling calling home._

Five burst through the final set of doors and onto the grassy lawns, voices of military personnel and scientists frantically calling after. He ran faster, breaking away from the building into the open dirt that lay just beyond. 

If it had been any other instance, he would have simply jumped away from his pursuers. He couldn't do that. Not this time. He needed as much energy as he could possibly muster for his next set of jumps.

_Across the stratosphere, a final message._

With his feet still in motion, Five threw his eyes skyward. The flaming rocket plummeted to earth, burning and burning as it reentered the atmosphere.

He crammed the numbers through his brain once more and called his powers, brilliant blue energy roaring through his veins.

_“Give my wife my love."_

For the briefest of seconds, Five thought about Luther and the promise he had tried to force him to make. He thought about his dad, about his brothers and sisters. He thought about what would happen if he was even a single decibel off. He wouldn't get to see them again. Any of them. 

"I'm sorry," Five whispered under his breath.

_Then nothing more._

He released the energy stored in his hands, propelling himself forward. A loud  snap filled the air as he tore a hole through the fabric of space itself and leapt inside.

_Far beneath the ship, the world is mourning._

Five tumbled into the flaming cockpit, the air immediately sucked from his lungs. The fire was hot and consuming, licking the cabin ceiling as it traveled along the walls. The ship rocked violently and Five stumbled, fighting with every fiber of his being to remain upright. 

The worst of all thoughts flickered through the boy's mind as his eyes found Luther.

_They don't realize he's alive._

Five scrambled over to his brother's unmoving form, hissing loudly and jerking away as his hand as it met the searing metal of a harness. 

With adrenaline coursing through him he clenched his jaw and steeled himself, ripping the belt free no matter how badly it hurt or how charred it left his flesh.

_No one understands, but Major Tom sees._

"Luther!  _Luther!_ ”

Five shook his brother violently, his words loud and frantic. 

There was half an instant where it all seemed to fall away. Where nothing was alright, nor would it ever be alright again. In that moment, as Luther lay motionless, the world ended for Five Hargreeves. 

  
  


_Now the light commands._

There was a loud gasp and suddenly every muscle in his brother's body came to life. He bolted upright, eyes wide and disbelieving as his gloved hands gripped the fabric of Five's singed uniform. 

With no time to waste, he dug his fibers into the fabric of Luther's spacesuit, gathering what little energy was left in his body. 

"We have to go, now!" Five yelled over the cracking of the flames and the rumble explosions.

_'This is my home, I'm coming home.'_

  
  


A flash of blue filled the crumbling room as Five hurled them back through the threads of the universe, dragging his brother along with him.

_Earth below us._

_Drifting falling._

_Floating weightless._

_Coming home._

  
  


The icy winds whipped at Five's face as they emerged on the other side. Panic surged through him as he realized his miscalculation, now in a free fall hundreds of feet above the earth. He called his powers again only to fizzle out, the blue light fading away as the ground came closer with every passing second. He tried again and again, his body too weak to make the jump.

_Earth below us._

_Drifting falling._

_Floating weightless._

_Coming home._

Suddenly, two strong arms grabbed hold of him, pulling him towards them. Luther tucked Five into his chest and braced for the inevitable.

  
  


_Earth Below us._

_Drifting, falling._

_Floating, weightless._

_Calling coming._

They hit the ground moments later, Number One taking the brunt of the impact. 

_Home._

The force of the landing reverberated through them both and they were sent tumbling across the bare dirt of the earth. 

Everything went black after that. 

_Home._

Five must have lost consciousness, because his next moment of awareness was of Luther kneeling over him, shaking him roughly and calling his name. 

_Home._

Five blinked his eyes open only to find Luther hovering, peering at him through the broken and jagged glass of his helmet. Five just looked at him for a moment, wondering if what had just happened was real. 

_Home._

"Five!" Luther all but yelled, trying to get a response. 

He was really there. His face was covered in dirt and char and his eyes were as brilliantly blue as ever. He was real. 

_Home._

"Five—"

Luther was abruptly cut off as Five surged towards him, gripping his suit and yanking him down to his level.

"I told you your promise was bullshit!" He all but yelled in his face.

He released a now stunned and speechless Luther, giving him a weak half-hearted shove as he did. 

They both fell back into the dirt, chests still heaving slightly as they now stared skyward. The golden rays of morning light had only now begun to fade, its orange and pink echoes trailing across the sky. 

_Home._

Far above them, the rocket burned and broke apart, impacting the earth with a low  _boom_ somewhere in the distance. 

Luther and Five laid in silence for a moment, their heartbeats slowly calming as the adrenaline faded from their systems. 

Five eventually spoke first, a cheeky and sarcastic cadence in his words. _“_ _Heck of a first mission, Spaceboy—"_

"Shut up!" Luther groaned, cutting him off. 

Low and out of breath laughter bubbled up from Five's chest. He smiled to himself, allowing the quiet to wash back over them. 

"Thank—thank you," Luther broke the silence, sounding more unsure than Five had ever heard him. "Thank you for ignoring orders."

Five propped himself up on his arm and looked down at Luther, tilting his head to the side. Something warm and comforting spread through his chest. He wasn't quite sure what to do with that feeling. 

"Forget about it," Five did his best to seem nonchalant. "I just wanted to stick it to the old man," he said, laying his head back down on the soft dirt. 

"Sure thing," Luther seemed unconvinced and Five simply closed his eyes, a part of him hoping he could fall asleep before the search party found them. 

There would undoubtedly be punishment in store for him once he returned. Their father just  loved thinking up new ways to punish them all, especially Five, a problem child who couldn't truly be contained or kept from anything. It usually forced Reginald to get... _creative_ . Five grimaced to himself, knowing that whatever awaited him would not be pleasant. 

The welcoming embrace of unconsciousness came easy, which wasn't surprising given how much he had overextended his powers. 

Just as he drifted away, Five felt a hand grip his own. He exhaled a low breath and squeezed lightly, allowing the darkness to claim him. 

_Home._

He was home.


End file.
